US embassy cable - 05ALGIERS1771

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001771 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2015 
TAGS: PREL, SNAR, MOPS, AG, MO, FR 
SUBJECT: RETIRED CHOD COMMENTS ON MOROCCAN BORDER ISSUES 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman, Reason 1.4 (b) (d) 
 
1.  (C) At a dinner hosted by the Saudi Defense Attache 
August 20, DCM was seated facing former Algerian CHOD General 
Mohammed Lamari, who retired one year ago.  The Tunisian and 
Moroccan attaches were seated at the same table.  Lamari 
began reminiscing about the war of independence from France, 
describing in some detail the two electrified barbed wire 
fences with minefields in between that the French constructed 
in the 1950s along hundreds of kilometers of Algeria's 
frontiers with both Morocco and Tunisia.  Lamari described 
how the Algerian independence fighters learned to breach the 
barriers, noting that after independence, Algeria wanted to 
preserve sections of the fences as a monument to the 
thousands who died trying to cross them.  However, the 
government's intentions had been undercut by simple farmers 
who dismantled the fences and minefields on their own in 
order to sell or use the barbed wire and explosive charges. 
Lamari said that although hundreds of farmers died trying to 
dismantle the French mines, their deaths did not dissuade 
others.  Now nothing was left of the French barriers except 
for a small display in the Algiers Military Museum. 
 
2.  (C) Having raised the Moroccan border issue in the 
context of the war of independence, Lamari segued to 
smuggling along the border today.  He complained that 
although the border has been closed since 1994, Moroccans 
smuggled large quantities of drugs into Algeria.  Originally 
the drug trade had been intended for European markets, but in 
the last few years, Algeria had become a consumer of 
Moroccan-produced drugs as well.  Lamari said that at one 
time, Algerian soldiers had shoot-on-sight orders along the 
Moroccan border, since, he argued, it was impossible to 
distinguish smugglers from terrorists.  The Army had changed 
this approach, however, since they found they were shooting 
simple smugglers.  Lamari charged that cannabis cultivation 
in Morocco was tolerated by the Moroccan government. 
 
3.  (C) At this point, the Moroccan DATT, who had been 
listening without comment, objected, saying that cannabis 
cultivation was not only illegal in Morocco but the 
government had recently increased the legal penalties.  The 
problem was that the northern Rif area of Morocco was densely 
forested mountains and it was very difficult for the police 
to eradicate the cannabis crops.  Furthermore, smuggling 
networks were operated on both sides of the border, as 
partnerships between Moroccan and Algerian smugglers. 
Without conceding his point about Morocco's tolerance of 
cultivation, Lamari agreed it was true that the smuggling 
networks operated on both sides of the frontier. 
 
4.  (C) Indicating some frustration, Lamari commented that 
the Algerian police only arrested small-time dealers involved 
in the growing narcotics trade.  "We know who the big heads 
are," he said, "but we cannot arrest them."   Although Lamari 
added that was because the courts could not link the big 
dealers directly to the drug trade, it was evident from his 
tone that Lamari felt the big drug lords enjoyed political 
protection of some kind. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
5.  (C) Both sides engage in regular cross-border activity. 
The Moroccan Ambassador has told us that Moroccan beach 
hotels in the Oujda area are full of Algerians, that 
Moroccans and Algerians cross the border every day in large 
numbers, in full view of the border police, and that there 
are set "fees" for the crossing, depending on whether one is 
on foot, in a taxi, or in a private vehicle.  One of our 
FSNs, asked by Ambassador how his vacation went, replied they 
had a great time in Morocco and "there was no trouble at all 
in crossing the border." 
 
BIOGRAPHIC NOTE 
--------------- 
 
6.  (C) General Lamari has lost a great deal of weight, 
perhaps as much as 100 pounds, and looked much healthier than 
he had when he was still on active duty.  Although he chain 
smoked throughout dinner, he commented that he had reduced 
his smoking from six to two packs a day. 
ERDMAN